Current personal electronic devices and infotainment head units get connected if they have been paired previously, without paying attention to a different user preference. If a device and a head unit are close to each other, then they automatically get connected, sometimes overriding existing connections. Self-learning Bluetooth infotainment connectivity does not exist on current systems. As currently there is growing need for multiple device connectivity and on different protocols/profiles with Bluetooth interface, there is consequently the need for self-learning Bluetooth infotainment connectivity.
Current systems basically have few rules defined, and may allow a maximum of two devices to be connected at a time. One device may be for audio and the other device may be for telephone.
The priority of using a Bluetooth interface for using apps from devices and allowing audio/phone connections while using Android auto/Apple Car-play are very scarcely defined and more often than not lead to ambiguous connections. More precisely, sometimes Bluetooth devices that are in the vicinity of the car get connected to the car although the devices are not being used by any of the vehicle occupants. This results in inadvertent connection and results in a poor user experience. For example, a user may be in an active call at his residence but may experience an audio blackout in his cellphone because the audio gets transferred to the vehicle when the vehicle is operated by a different user.
The key flow areas of current systems may include biometric technologies including fingerprinting and facial recognition, which are being used in the cars to identify drivers.
The key flow areas of current systems may also include automotive head units maintaining a list of Bluetooth devices that have been paired. The head unit connects to one of the paired devices that is in the vicinity. The user has an option to specify one of the devices as a favorite device. When there is only one paired device in the vicinity, the head unit connects to that device. When there is more than one paired device in the vicinity, the head unit connects to the favorite device if it is available, or connects to one of the devices based on an internal priority mechanism, such as a list of the order of paired devices, etc.
Yet another key flow area of current systems includes supporting a menu option where the user can go and view the paired device list. This menu also allows user to change the connection to a different Bluetooth device that is available in the vicinity of the car.
Bluetooth stacks developed by different companies adhering to Bluetooth protocols are available. Companies develop proprietary software on top of these Bluetooth stacks to provide needed functionalities.
With Bluetooth connectivity being readily available, there is no guarantee, which might override other connections, that a user will go into the settings of each device and explicitly define Bluetooth profile connections for the same. But, most importantly, in the case of a hands-free profile, there are observations which override current active Bluetooth-phone connections and allow for connection of another phone/device without regard for priority or preference. This lack of regard for priority or preference makes it very frustrating and annoying to use the feature with multiple devices.